3D Mario on Switch 2: Miyamoto Breaks His Silence 9 Years After Odyssey

The interview ran in a special issue of Japanese design magazine Casa BRUTUS celebrating 40 years of Mario. The creator of the franchise leaves no room for interpretation on the legacy of the hybrid console. « With the achievement of Super Mario Odyssey, I think we’ve gotten everything we wanted out of the Switch system. » The wording carries serious weight. It owns the full exploitation of Switch hardware, and explicitly signals the transition to Switch 2.

Shigeru Miyamoto then pivots to what comes next. « Up to now, we’ve released new titles with the advent of each console. I’m really excited to see how the current team will handle that challenge. » This is the closest Nintendo has come to confirming that a 3D Mario is on the team’s drawing board since the Switch 2 launched. The creator also slips in a touch of self-deprecation when discussing the franchise’s future 50th anniversary. « I just hope to stay healthy until Mario’s 50th anniversary » he jokes, a discreet nod to the generational handover already underway at the company.

Super Mario Odyssey launched in October 2017, and the franchise has not seen a brand-new 3D Mario since. Nine years of silence on the most iconic pillar of Nintendo, something the company has never allowed to happen before. On Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza took over the 3D platformer slot, breaking the long-standing tradition that paired every new console with a flagship Mario release.

Nintendo development cycles are historically long. Nearly eight years separate Super Mario Odyssey from Donkey Kong Bananza, and multiple insiders report that no 3D Mario is expected at the upcoming June Nintendo Direct. Several outlets have reported, however, that a team was already working on an Odyssey follow-up alongside Bananza development. If that holds true, the next 3D Mario could ship well before the 2033 window that a standard cycle would suggest. Miyamoto‘s comments in Casa BRUTUS read in this context as the first official signal that the engine is back in motion.